Electroplating basket

ABSTRACT

An electroplating basket includes a basket body and a hanging unit. The basket body has two upright side walls, two upright end walls interconnected with the upright side walls, and a bottom wall connected to the upright side walls and the upright end walls. The hanging unit includes a conductive metal rod. The conductive metal rod has a connection portion that extends along the upright side walls and that is disposed beneath and connected to the bottom wall, and two hanging portions extending respectively and upwardly from two opposite ends of the connection portion along the upright end walls and bending sidewards away from the upright end walls.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Taiwanese Patent Application No.109106172, filed on Feb. 26, 2020.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a basket, and more particularly to anelectroplating basket.

BACKGROUND

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an electroplating metal block 91, such as azinc block for galvanizing, is generally disposed within a metal basket92. The metal basket 92 is hung to a copper rod 93, and is immersed intoan electrolyte bath. The copper rod 93 conducts an electric current tothe metal basket 92. The metal basket 92 passes the electric current tothe electroplating metal block 91 so that the electroplating metal block91 can be electrolyzed.

The metal basket 92 has a basket body 921 and two hooks 922 welded tothe basket body 921. The hooks 922 are attached to the copper rod 93.Because each hook 922 has a small area in contact with the copper rod93, when the electric current is large, the hooks 922 are easilydamaged. Further, the welded joint between each hook 922 and the basketbody 921 has small contact surface area and is prone to damage due tothe large electric current.

In addition, stability of contact pressure between the hooks 922 and thecopper rod 93 must rely on the weight of the electroplating metal block91 within the basket body 921 in order to maintain stable electricconduction. However, after a period of electrolysis, the weight of theelectroplating metal block 91 can be reduced, and the contact pressurebetween the hooks 922 and the copper rod 93 can become instable anddecrease the electric conducting effect. Moreover, because the electriccurrent flows to the electroplating metal block 91 through the hooks 922and the basket body 921, the path of electric conduction is long, andthe electrical resistance thereof is large. As the copper rod 93conducts electricity in air, it is easy to generate heat, whichincreases energy consumption.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the object of this disclosure is to provide an electroplatingbasket that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the priorart.

According to the disclosure, an electroplating basket includes a basketbody and a hanging unit.

The basket body has two upright side walls spaced apart from each other,two upright end walls spaced apart from each other and interconnectedwith the upright side walls, and a bottom wall connected to the uprightside walls and the upright end walls. The upright side walls, theupright end walls, and the bottom wall cooperatively define anaccommodating space.

The hanging unit includes a conductive metal rod. The conductive metalrod has a connection portion that extends along the upright side wallsand that is disposed beneath and connected to the bottom wall, and twohanging portions extending respectively and upwardly from two oppositeends of the connection portion along the upright end walls and bendingsidewards away from the upright end walls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent inthe following detailed description of the embodiment(s) with referenceto the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an existing metal basket hung to a copper rod;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates an electroplating basket according to an embodimentof the disclosure; and

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 3 to 4 illustrate an electroplating basket 100 according to anembodiment of the disclosure. The electroplating basket 100 includes abasket body 1 and a hanging unit 2.

The basket body 1 has two upright side walls 11, two upright end walls12, and a bottom wall 13. The upright side walls 11 are spaced apartfrom each other. Each upright side wall 11 is shaped in a rectangularform and has a plurality of perforations for entry of an electrolyteinto the basket body 1. The upright end walls 12 are spaced apart fromeach other and are each connected to one end of each upright side wall11. The upright end walls 12 are as high as the upright side walls 11.Each upright end wall 12 has a length shorter than that of each uprightside wall 11, so that the basket body 1 is oblong. The bottom wall 13 isconnected to the upright side walls 11 and the upright end walls 12. Theupright side walls 11, the upright end walls 12, and the bottom wall 13cooperatively define an accommodating space 14 to receive anelectroplating metal block (M), such as a zinc, nickel, or copper block,for plating. In this embodiment the electroplating metal block is thenickel block having a trapezoidal cross section. The bottom wall 13 hastwo inclined wall portions 131 that extend upwardly and respectivelyfrom bottom ends of the upright side walls 11, and that intersect eachother and are inclined with respect to the upright side walls 11. Eachinclined wall portion 131 has an inner inclined surface 132 that isinclined with respect to one of the upright side walls 11. The innerinclined surface 132 is used to contact and support a sloping face ofthe electroplating metal block (M). Because there are two inner inclinedsurfaces 132 in this embodiment, regardless of whatever one of thesloping faces of the plating metal block (M) is used as a leading endfor insertion into the metal block (M), the metal block can certainly beplaced in contact with the inner inclined surface 132 of one of theinclined wall portions 131. However, in other embodiments, the bottomwall 13 of the basket body 1 can have only one inner inclined surface132.

The hanging unit 2 includes a conductive metal rod 21 and tworeinforcement members 22. The conductive metal rod 21 is disposedparallel with the upright side walls 11, and has a connection portion211 and two hanging portions 212. The connection portion 211 extendsalong the upright side walls 11 and is disposed beneath and connected tothe bottom wall 13. The hanging portions 212 extend respectively andupwardly from two opposite ends of the connection portion 211 along theupright end walls 12 and bend sidewards away from the upright end walls12. The hanging portions 212 can be hung to a copper rod (not shown)that is electrically connected to a conductive member (not shown) of anelectroplating tank (not shown). Each reinforcement member 22 isconnected to one of the hanging portions 212 of the conductive metal rod21 and one of the upright end walls 12 of the basket body 1 to reinforceconnection strength of the conductive metal rod 21 to the basket body 1.

In this embodiment, the basket body is made from titanium. Theconductive metal rod 21 is a copper rod with an outer surface covered bya titanium coating.

The connection portion 211 of the conductive metal rod 21 is welded tothe bottom wall 13 of the basket body 1. In particular, the connectionportion 211 is disposed between and welded to bottom sides 133 of saidinclined wall portions 131 of the bottom wall 13. In addition, theconnection portion 211 of the conductive metal rod 21 extends throughthe upright end walls 12.

In use, most parts of the conductive metal rod 21 are immersed in andcooled by the electrolyte to reduce heat dissipation and energyconsumption. Further, the titanium coating covering the outer surface ofthe conductive metal rod 21 can resist corrosion. The connection portion211 of the conductive metal rod 21 is welded to the bottom wall 13 alongan entire length of the bottom wall 13. Therefore, the contact surfacearea of the welded joint between the conductive metal rod 21 and thebasket body 1 for conducting electricity can be increased, and excessivecurrent concentration, which can damage the welded area, can be avoided.Particularly, because the connection portion 211 of the conductive metalrod 21 is welded to both bottom sides 133 of the inclined wall portions131, the welded joint between the conductive rod 21 and the basket body1 has an increased contact surface area for electric conduction, therebyreducing the risk of damage to the welded joint. As the connectionportion 211 of the conductive metal rod 21 is intimately welded to thebottom wall 13, the contact surface area at the welded joint is stable,thereby stabilizing electrical conduction. During plating, contactbetween the sloping face of the electroplating metal (M) and the innerinclined surface 132 can increase conductivity. An electric currentpassing the conductive metal rod 21 can directly flow to theelectroplating metal (M) through the bottom wall 13. Therefore, theelectric conduction path can be shortened, and an overall electricalresistance of the electroplating basket 100 can be reduced, therebydecreasing energy consumption. Compared to the existing electroplatingbasket 92 (see FIG. 1), the electroplating basket 100 is able to provideenergy saving of 15% to 30%.

By virtue the conductive metal rod 21 having the hanging portions tohang the basket body 1 and the connection portion welded to the bottomwall 131 of the basket body 1 to transmit electricity to theelectroplating metal block through the bottom wall, energy consumptioncan be saved, and the risk of damage to the welded joints can bereduced.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details have been set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to oneskilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments maybe practicedwithout some of these specific details. It should also be appreciatedthat reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number andso forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristicmay be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be furtherappreciated that in the description, various features are sometimesgrouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereoffor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in theunderstanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or morefeatures or specific details from one embodiment may be practicedtogether with one or more features or specific details from anotherembodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what isconsidered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that thisdisclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended tocover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of thebroadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications andequivalent arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electroplating basket comprising: a basket body having two upright side walls spaced apart from each other, two upright end walls spaced apart from each other and interconnected with said upright side walls, and a bottom wall connected to said upright side walls and said upright end walls, said upright side walls, said upright end walls, and said bottom wall cooperatively defining an accommodating space; and a hanging unit including a conductive metal rod, said conductive metal rod having a connection portion that extends along said upright side walls and that is disposed beneath and connected to said bottom wall, and two hanging portions extending respectively and upwardly from two opposite ends of said connection portion along said upright end walls and bending sidewards away from said upright end walls.
 2. The electroplating basket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said basket body is made from titanium, and said conductive metal rod is a copper rod with an outer surface covered by a titanium coating.
 3. The electroplating basket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connection portion of said conductive metal rod is welded to said bottom wall of said basket body.
 4. The electroplating basket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hanging unit further includes two reinforcement members each of which is connected to one of said hanging portions of said conductive metal rod and one of said upright end walls of said basket body.
 5. The electroplating basket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom wall of said basket body has an inner inclined surface that is inclined with respect to one of said upright side walls, said inner inclined surface being configured to contact and support a sloping face of an electroplating metal block.
 6. The electroplating basket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom wall of said basket body has two inclined wall portions that extend upwardly and respectively from bottom ends of said upright side walls, and that intersect each other and are inclined with said upright side walls, said connection portion of said conductive metal rod being disposed between and welded to bottom sides of said inclined wall portions.
 7. The electroplating basket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connection portion of said conductive metal rod extends through said upright end walls. 